X-bit labs

CeBIT 2008 Coverage: Part 3

Category: Editorial

by Anton Shilov

[ 03/11/2008 | 06:00 PM ]

This time we explore more mainboards aimed at extreme overclockers that have LN2 blocks and liquid-cooling installed, laptops made of bamboo by Asus, high-end gaming notebooks from OCZ/Hypersonic, home theater personal computer by MSI as well as forthcoming cooling systems from Scythe.

Table of contents:

• Back to Nature: Asustek Demos Notebooks Made of Bamboo
  
• Raw Power: OCZ’s Hypersonic Displays Highest-Performance Notebooks
  
• Intoxicated with Performance: Asustek Presents Pinot Noir Motherboard
  
• Bigger Is Better: Scythe Reveals Ninja 2, Orochi Coolers
  
• The Desperado: Foxconn Unveils Liquid Nitrogen-Ready “BlackOps”, “Destroyer” and “Dreadnought” Mainboards
  
• Diva: MSI Shows Off Home Theater Personal Computer with HDMI, Audio Amplifier
  

Back to Nature: Asustek Demos Notebooks Made of Bamboo

Mobile personal computers, which were used only by road warriors just about a decade ago, have reached the mass market by now and many end-users demand trendy and stylish notebooks to attract attention. You can put on Swarovski crystals or even diamonds, but you will not become unique, or you can create enclosures made of bamboo and create truly unique solutions.

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Asustek computer presented a lineup of concept bamboo notebooks as well as a desktop PC and monitor at CeBIT 2008. The devices do catch eye and may once find themselves produced in mass quantities, if there is interest among consumers. Among the devices showcases, besides purely concept bamboo notebook, were S6 and U6 laptops, LS201 display as well as Essentio 5110 small form-factor desktop, all of which are available in plastic right now.

Asustek U6 notebook with bamboo cover

Several Asian cultures, including that of the Andaman Islands, believe that humanity emerged from a bamboo stem. In the Philippine creation myth, legend tells that the first man and the first woman each emerged from split bamboo stems on an island created after the battle of the elemental forces (Sky and Ocean). In the Chinese culture, this unique character symbolizes a serene wisdom that takes the soul through a journey of aesthetic realms. In Malaysian legends a similar story includes a man who dreams of a beautiful woman while sleeping under a bamboo plant; he wakes up and breaks the bamboo stem, discovering the woman inside. The Japanese folktale “Tale of the Bamboo Cutter” (Taketori Monogatari) tells of a princess from the Moon emerging from a shining bamboo section. Hawaiian bamboo (‘ohe) is a “kinolau” or body form of the Polynesian creator god Kāne Milohai.

  
Asustek Essentio 5110 in bamboo computer case

In nature, bamboo carries a touch of spiritual warmth with its unique tactile surface and its refreshing fragrance. Touching Asustek’s bamboo devices does feel good, but it is not completely clear how bamboo will look if the notebook is actively used for a long time: scratches created when the laptop in the bag may not be critical, but scratches created with clasp of watch may look rather unpleasantly.